Active
Who approved this?
Approved by Fort Smith Board of Directors on August 15, 2023.
The Board of Directors approved the police department automated license plate reader purchase on August 15, 2023 after public discussion, according to Talk Business and Politics. The department now runs 44 integrated Flock cameras, 21 of them license plate readers and 23 fixed live view cameras. Published annual pricing is 3,000 dollars for each reader, 3,000 dollars for each live view camera, 12,500 dollars for each camera trailer, 540 dollars for trailer integration and 15,000 dollars for software features. A City of Fort Smith bulletin issued August 27, 2026 says Chief Danny Baker cut automatic data retention from 30 days to 7 days, turned off access for outside agencies and limited searches to felony investigations, domestic battery reports within 12 hours and missing person cases. That bulletin also states the contract runs through November 30, 2027 and that any renewal has to go before the Board of Directors in public, with a city auditor review underway first. No roll call is given because the August 15, 2023 minutes sit behind a document viewer that could not be read.
This contract expires November 30, 2027
418 days until the community decides.
The money
- Cameras: 21
What happens next
Renewals are decided in public. Residents can attend the meeting, speak during public comment, and write to the office above through official channels. The ACLU publishes a model cancellation resolution officials can adapt.
Sources
- Talk Business and Politics report giving the August 15, 2023 board approval date, camera counts and annual unit pricing (August 1, 2026) talkbusiness.net
- City of Fort Smith community notice on new limits for automated license plate reader use and the November 30, 2027 contract end (August 27, 2026) content.govdelivery.com
Last verified: September 8, 2026. Something wrong? Request a correction.
The record
Fort Smith Board of Directors approved this Flock contract on August 15, 2023. It passed as a council vote item. Fort Smith Police Department operates the program.
The agency reports 21 cameras.
The contract is active. It runs through November 30, 2027; the decision calendar counts down to it.
2 sources back this record; each is listed with its date under Sources. Last verified September 8, 2026. More from the state: the Arkansas hub. Everything: the tracker.
Cite this record
Who Approved This, "Fort Smith, AR Flock Contract," whoapprovedthis.org, accessed October 7, 2026, https://whoapprovedthis.org/city/ar-fort-smith/.
Related
Read on
- Mayflower, AR Canceled
- Cabot, AR Suspended
- Greers Ferry, AR Canceled
- Camera locations near Fort Smith: DeFlock (external, crowdsourced)
- Agency transparency portal, if published: transparency.flocksafety.com; aggregated at Eyes on Flock